Preserved Wook is an oldtime New England railway engineman who calls to life again the history & technology not only of the steam locomotive in the LAST Steam Age of the Old Atlantic West, but of many a wonderful way of getting around in the World, in a better time when travel indeed was for the few…and the very few!

Tornado Derails Train & Train Cab View Of It All

The tornado moved across the Chicago and Northwestern railway where it blew 12 railroad freight cars off the track. The train was moving at the time the tornado hit it…so as the main engine stopped…the remaining cars on the track continued along it and slammed into the front part of the train. This caused a few more cars to derail…including one containing hazardous materials that caused the evacuation of the town of Lawrence.

Local news article link below:

Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said no one was injured when one locomotive and 12 freight cars derailed Monday around 4 p.m. in Harvard in McHenry County. One tank car, which leaked for hours before being contained Monday night, contained shock fluid, Davis said. Another tank car that ended up on its side contained ethylene oxide, a flammable material widely used to sterilize medical supplies, but a Union Pacific manager on the scene determined that tank was not leaking. Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 500 residents in the nearby unincorporated town of Lawrence because of the potential for a hazardous materials situation, said Capt. David Shepherd with the McHenry County sheriff’s office. No injuries were reported, he said. Three other derailed cars on the train headed to Janesville, Wis., from North Lake contained auto parts, and seven more were empty. Crews prepared Monday night to move the cars away from the tracks. “It’s very muddy conditions in the area, so it’ll take a while.”